The Auguste
by HikamiTZ
Summary: Lost in his grief for his dead father, Allen Walker signs a contract with the Millennium Earl. In exchange for his curse, the earl will give Allen a new home. Allen never dreamed it could come to this.
1. CONTRACT

THE AUGUSTE

Where the stars paint the sky a contrasting bright, the darkness creeps over the land like spiders tiptoeing across their webs. One solid mass of black that is the night coats the world save for the tiny dots of white speckled about cheeringly yet so far away…

Where the tree branches crisscross, holding the hands of their neighbors, whistling together in the wind a forest tune passed along through the years, they rustle the cold off their trunks with a steady sway. The sky hugging their canopies with fleeting grazes…

Where the stone yard's feral growls scratch through the air, its hungry claws grasping for any life to squeeze, the slates stand looming over lone mourners, the corpses beneath them stiller than anything among the earth's possessions...

Who should sit beneath a large yet modest grave marker on his own but none other than little Allen Walker, orphaned again by his newly deceased father? Only mere moments had passed since he had been nothing special, just another one with love lost and tears shed. But the sad face had fallen, the grief ceasing with it, replaced now by curiosity that should have been suspicion and hope that should have been dread.

One fat, all-encompassing hand, large enough to fit Allen's own head in its palm, stretched invitingly to greet his, and Allen, being a polite, unassuming child, met it with his own.

The Earl of the Millennium grinned, the sale complete, the results merely pending. A fence of metal, a desperate cry, and the deal was done.

But whose name should he cry, whose name should appear, who should rise from the dead but none other than Mana? Mana. _Mana._

Mana cried in disbelief, and then in anguish. MANA. Mana would hear none of him. The slice of a blade stung Allen's face. His hand padded the heavy trickling flow of red in shock. Mana was soon upon him, ready for the finishing blow. Allen prepared himself.

It wasn't enough. Engulfed in terrible light, Allen cried as, against his will, he was dragged to meet his father once more by his own arm.

MANA. _MANA._

I love you.

* * *

I - CONTRACT

* * *

In the aftermath, Allen shuddered. The fingers of his left hand tingled still, as they never had before. He never would have imagined that the first sensation his disfigured arm would have would be that of killing his adoptive father. The first time he lost Mana, Allen had been distraught. The second time was worse. 

The empty night was filled with his sobbing. Despair and horror swept over him like a flood. Not even in his greatest nightmares had he imagined such an evil. He grabbed at his terrible arm tightly, the might of his grasp burning the tips of his right hand's fingers. His weeping slowed gradually as the adrenaline left his system, and that was when the pain crept in and his last soft sobs became gasps of agony. Allen lay sprawled on the ground, crushing his murderous arm beneath his weight as his right hand covered his left eye in a helpless attempt to staunch the flow of blood. He squinted in the darkness to see the blood now covering his hand and the sight put him out of his wits as he gagged uncontrollably, even without having eaten for days.

He was not alone, a fact he had forgotten in his shock.

"My, my! How unexpected!" the earl chuckled to himself, watching the crying boy. "That ugly thing is Innocence?"

His smile never faltered as he strolled gaily across the cemetery to meet the child once again.

"Now, now. You shouldn't cry," the earl said, bending over Allen. "You got to see your father again! Isn't that nice?"

Allen sobbed harder. "I-I-I…"

The earl tilted his head to the side. "Hmm?"

"I…" Allen choked. "I k-killed him…"

Smile unwavering, the earl shook his head, tut-tutting.

"I'm a monster!" the boy cried, curling up into a ball.

"That won't do," the earl said, throwing his umbrella over his shoulder. "Big boys don't cry."

Allen sat up, scooting away from the other in shame. The earl caught him by the arm and caressed the hand covering Allen's injury.

"Let me see that." He pried the other's soaked fingers away to find no gash and no bleeding socket. Allen's eye was perfectly intact. The only evidence that remained was the long red scar gracing his left side leading to the new pentacle on his forehead.

The Millennium Earl's eyebrows rose slowly. "So that's how it is," he chortled. Allen winced as the Earl poked the upside-down star, his bloodied hand clenching the dirt beneath it inside his fist. The earl picked up Allen's left arm, turning it over and studying it. "Though this might be a problem…"

Allen yelped in surprise as a giant, gloved hand covered his face. A strange tearing sensation burned his cheek as the Earl slowly peeled the mark off.

A long, red something was dangling in front of him now. Allen blinked at it, not sure what to think. The earl shook it roughly, and a long scroll grew from the end of the something. It unrolled in midair, the paper scraping against itself noisily. As the earl tapped his chin thoughtfully, black words started to write themselves on the sheet out of no where.

"This little thing would be so much trouble for you," the earl said, waving the red thing around between them. "It's quite inconvenient to be cursed, I must say."

Allen stiffened. A curse? Mana had cursed him?

"No one wants a curse like this," the earl continued kindly. "You don't need it, so what say we make a deal?"

Gulping slowly, Allen looked over at the floating scroll uneasily. He couldn't make out any of the words in the night. "What kind of deal?" he rasped.

The earl's eyes shined through his spectacles with giddiness. He bent low again, imposingly.

"If you give me this curse, I will give you a new home."

Time seemed to stretch. Allen's breath hitched in his throat. He had no home to return to now. He hadn't even thought about what he was going to do without Mana. Yet Mana had taught him to live on his own, completely by himself. He didn't need a new home.

But did he want one?

The earl grasped the scroll tightly and held it under Allen's nose. It was a contract. A large X next to a long line at the very bottom stared at him expectantly. Allen bit his lip.

"I don't have a pen," he said at last, breaking the increasingly uncomfortable silence.

The earl laughed, his eyes wandering over to Allen's right hand. Allen followed the gaze, too, and saw the small puddle of blood from his eye sit innocently beneath his fingers.

"You have all you need," the earl replied.

Allen's heart raced in his throat. The earl's eyes bore into the top of his head.

Slowly, a small hand dipped its finger in the puddle. It rose shakily and tapped the surface of the contract, carefully tracing a bright red _A._ Patiently, the earl held the document perfectly still as Allen dipped his finger many more times, signing his name.

_A-l-l-e-n W-a-l-k-e-r_

The scroll promptly rolled itself up, the earl grasping it menacingly. Allen's stomach dropped as his left hand fell through the ground. Looking down, he discovered a large black rift opening beneath him. He screamed and tried to jump to his feet, but his body lost all of its footing, and he plummeted down.

"Welcome home, Allen."

* * *

A pair of silvery eyes snapped open in a dimly lit bedroom. Allen sat up straight, his heart pounding mercilessly, sweat dripping down his face. What had happened? 

He sprang to his feet, looking around the room dazedly. It was a very modest, clean room. There were no decorations anywhere, the walls were plain, and on the tiny nightstand beside him stood nothing save a small melting candle. The long room had two doors. Allen opened the one nearest him to discover a dark closet filled with unfamiliar clothes. He closed it quickly and ran to the other door to find that it, to his dismay, was locked. After trying the handle several more times, Allen retreated to the bed in defeat and dropped onto the mattress.

"Where am I?" he whispered in confusion, looking around again for any clues. The bare room betrayed no answers for him. Traces of fear began to well up inside him as his mind raced to work things out. Mana had died. He had been there for the funeral. And then…

Allen's eyes fell to his left hand. The red mess sat innocently in the sheets. Allen swallowed, unsure what had been a dream and what had not. Everything seemed too crazy to be true at this point. He closed his eyes and recalled the man who had visited him in his despair, his cheery air all too out of place in that graveyard.

A high-pitched giggle, muffled by the walls, found its way to his ears. Allen looked up at the door as the handle turned. There was a string of harmless curses and another much deeper voice saying something like, "Let me get that." The scraping of a key in a lock rustled around for a few seconds and then the door swung open to reveal two visitors.

The largest, most prominent figure Allen recognized right away. It was the smiling man from the cemetery. Their eyes locked immediately and Allen drew back in surprise. He was too distracted to notice the other visitor until she was already upon him.

"Hellooo!" the little girl squealed, jumping beside him on the bed. Her dark face was lit up in an amazingly wide smile. "Are you Allen?" she pried giddily.

Allen leaned away as her face came closer to his. Her smile stretched all the way to her eyes. He nodded hesitantly.

The girl squealed again and giggled uncontrollably, grabbing his wrists. "I'm Road Kamelot!" she proclaimed, flopping his arms about in the air. "We're going to have so much fun!"

The earl laughed as Road bounced up and down on the bed, shaking Allen around. "You'll help him get ready for dinner tonight, Road?"

"Of course!" she cried happily, squeezing Allen around his neck in a death lock. "Leave it to me!" She waved energetically as the earl chuckled and left the room.

Allen sputtered and clawed at her arms as his lungs demanded oxygen. Road snickered and loosened her grip, smiling as he coughed for air.

"Come on!" she yelled, jumping off the bed and running over to the dark closet. "You've got to get dressed now!" Without waiting for him, she skipped inside. As his choking lessened, Allen heard the clanking of hangers. He looked warily over at the closet when a white shirt covered his face unexpectedly. "Put that on!" Road's voice called happily.

Allen pulled the shirt off his head and looked at it. It was a white dress shirt that looked like it might fit him perfectly. Road appeared in the closet doorway with more clothes, still grinning.

"Slow!" she said, throwing the clothes on the bed and running over to pull Allen to his feet. "Come on! Aren't you hungry?"

Come to think of it, Allen was starving, but he couldn't get a word in edgewise as Road promptly pulled his shirt off and threw the other one around his shoulders, forcing his arms into the sleeves. Allen only got one button clasped when Road strung his neck up with a red tie and fixed his shirt up in five seconds flat, buttons and all.

Next were the pants. Road was grinning like an idiot.

* * *

Allen felt very awkward in his new attire, having never worn anything like it. The dinner jacket was heavy and studded with silver fastenings that Allen couldn't stop fingering. His shiny shoes clopped resoundingly as he walked down the hall with Road at his heel. He wiggled the fingers on both of his hands, feeling the white gloves hugging them that made his fingers slip whenever he grabbed at a button on his jacket. Road had been very disappointed when she couldn't find a hat that fit him well, and when she tried to tie his brown hair back instead, the tie fell to the floor. He didn't have enough hair for something like that. 

"Why do I have to wear this?" Allen asked, fiddling with another button.

Road's grin had yet to fall. "For dinner! The whole family's coming!" she replied happily.

"Family? Who-?" Allen was cut off as he bumped into someone. There was an indignant grunt from above as Allen stumbled backwards.

"Hey!" a cracking voice yelled. "Watch where you're going! Heehee!"

A dark haired boy leaned over and glared at Allen. "Aren't you going to apologize, runt?" he growled. His blond companion, the one Allen had hit, leaned over as well.

Petrified, Allen stuttered, "S-S-S-S-Sor…"

"Devit!" Road pouted, pushing herself between the boys. "Stop acting like a baby!"

The dark-haired teen drew back, redirecting his glare at Road. "Who's the kid?" he asked, looking back and forth between the two. The blond bent over Devit's shoulder and laughed eerily again, crying, "Who? Who?"

"It's dinnertime, kids," a newcomer crooned, approaching the gaggle. It was a sleek man, finely dressed. He didn't stop as he walked passed them through the doors down the hall. Allen stared at him, not quite getting a good look. Road cried in delight, skipping after him down the hall. The two ruffians glared at the man in turn before stalking after him. Devit turned around as an afterthought and stuck his finger in Allen's chest.

"Don't think this is over!" he threatened, causing the blond to giggle again. Allen gulped as he was left alone in the hall, broken from his stupor by Road's call. He walked nervously to dinner.

The dining room was just as dark and eerie as everything Allen had seen of the place so far. The only light came from the numerous candles decorating the long table in the center of the room. Road was bouncing in her chair, trying to wave Allen over to sit next to her. Allen hesitantly obeyed, finding his place somewhere in the middle of the table.

In the ten awkward minutes after he sat down, Allen watched all of the other chairs filled by more men and women in nice clothing and surly expressions. The earl sat at the head of the table some three or four chairs down from Allen, but he felt like he sat the farthest away from the man. Not too far away from him sat the two guys from the hallway (were they supposed to be twins? Allen couldn't tell. They didn't look very similar) fencing with their butter knives. The man who had interrupted them in the hallway sat right across from Allen. He was watching the earl patiently. Allen caught his eye accidentally. The man's lips twitched into a small but confident smile, making Allen look down at his plate embarrassed. As the last person took his seat, the earl cleared his throat.

"My siblings," he began heartily. "We have a new brother this evening. Allen Walker." Road turned and smiled at Allen, who sunk back in his chair. "I hope you all will treat him like family."

Allen tried not to pay attention to anything else at this point. He didn't know who any of these people were (or at least those he did were really strange). During the course of the night, a few people introduced themselves to him. He wasn't able to match most of the faces and names by the end of dinner. He was too perplexed by how much more food than normal he suddenly found himself eating.

* * *

Where blood meets earth, life will grow. The red stirred in the brown, mixed by the squeeze of a fallen child's hand. Stirring and mixing itself, the glob of dirt and blood molded into a ball of bright gold. Wings sprouted from it, a white cross marking its body. 

Cross Marian, investigating the graveyard, discovered Timcanpy that night, and upon receiving the will of Mana Walker, realized he was too late.

"Time for a change of plan," he muttered, tossing his spent cigarette on the ground and smothering it beneath his boot.


	2. ABDUCTION

I normally don't like to start a chapter with a message from me, but one reviewer (Celestial Moonshine :D) asked me a question about pairings that I would like to respond to.

I do my best to stay as close to the canon as possible, and because of that, there will be no official pairings in this story. This story is more about the plot than anything, and it will be very full of action, mystery, and struggle. That does not mean there will be no romance. In many cases, you might find a character experiencing small romantic feelings for someone of the opposite sex. This does not go to say that this is a "hetero" story. I do enjoy little humorous or heart-felt scenes in which two boys or two girls accidentally encounter an interesting situation, so something like that may appear as well. Essentially, there will be a lot of interaction and bonding between most if not all of the characters with no intentional romance, so the readers may interpret these scenes however they wish (just like they do with the real anime/manga anyways).

**The bottom line is, there are no official pairings, just official people I try to keep in character. That way, everyone can enjoy the story.**

(Also, please note that this is not the end of the quirky little family scenes. They'll be back starting chapter 4 or 5, and that's NOT a spoiler.)

* * *

II - ABDUCTION

* * *

Allen shifted his legs around a lot, bouncing a foot up and down every so often. His eyes were darting restlessly, gazing into the crackling fire for a split second before tracing the shadows on the walls. Road sat near the fireplace playing with her doll. Allen was sick of watching her flop it around in boredom. Road seemed like she had a wild enough imagination, yet she was entirely incapable of keeping herself entertained. Not that Allen faired any better.

A loud creak from a chair stretched through the room as the sitter shifted his position, and Allen's attention was drawn away from Road to the other. It was Tyki, the slick man who had sat across the dinner table from him the night before. Despite the lack of fancy dinner coat and looming top hat, he managed to still seem admirably sophisticated and comfortable, making Allen feel more and more out of place with each minute. Whether or not he felt Allen staring at him the man did not look up from his book once, even as Road began rolling around on the rug.

He kept perfect his concentration despite the loud crashing of the door caving in as Allen's worst nightmares came charging in. Devit, with a floppy Jasdero hanging from his shoulders, scanned the room deliberately, his eyes rising with his smirk as he discovered Allen hiding in the shadows. Allen flinched, crawling to the wall behind him in the hopes of escape. He didn't like the look on Devit's face at all.

"Oi, runt!" Devit jeered, causing Jasdero to giggle uncontrollably. "We've been looking _everywhere_ for you…"

Allen began to whine nervously when Devit's hands grabbed his shoulders and pinned him against the wall. The twins' faces grew closer to his, their eyes burning darkly.

"JasDevi!" Road squealed in delight. "Play with me! I'm _so bored!!_"

"Later Road!" Devit blew her off. "We've got another game buddy right now."

"Game! Heeheehee!" Jasdero cried excitedly. Allen began trembling which didn't help as he was hauled to his feet. He tried to wrestle his arms free but Devit's fingers were locked tight. This was the end.

Just as soon as Allen had been sure his fate was eminent, a strong hand patted his head and rested firmly against his scalp. Allen opened his eyes and stopped his struggling to find the twins glaring at Tyki. The taller man had stridden over swiftly and was now removing Allen from his vices, looking highly bemused.

"Afraid not," he said with mock-sympathy lacing his voice like candy. "See, the kid was just helping me pick out a new book. You two will just have to go on your way and find something else to do."

"Like play with _me!_" Road yelled, jumping to latch onto the twins' ankles. "Play with me! Play! Play!"

"Road, do you ever shut up?" Devit screamed as Jasdero fell from his perch on his brother's shoulders.

"No, no!" Road smiled. She stood up and dragged them both from the room gleefully, her ragged doll left forgotten by the fire. Several moments of silence passed as Allen stared at the closed doors in shock, not sure what to make of those three, until Tyki removed his hand from the boy's head and sighed tiredly.

Tyki walked over to his chair again and picked up the book lying in it, browsing through the remaining pages he had yet to read. Allen watched him curiously. Had this man just stood up for him? Was there one decent, possibly not crazy person in this weird place?

"Don't get me wrong, boy," the man said, breaking Allen from his reverie. "The Earl told me to watch you until he came back. I'm just tired today and don't want to chase those idiots around."

Allen, as usual, said nothing in response. Maybe he was getting his hopes up too soon.

Tyki straightened up, closing the book decisively and strolling to the door himself. His expectant look gave Allen his hint and the boy followed him quickly. Tyki led him down the usual dark corridors and cold hallways Allen was afraid to get too used to, coming all too quickly upon a grand set of oak doors that could have used a nice polishing. They opened to reveal a long library under a low ceiling that Allen had yet to visit. He did his best to keep close enough to Tyki so as to not get lost in the thick darkness of the unlit room, but Tyki did not go far anyways.

"Can you read, boy?" came the sudden question. Allen was taken aback, realizing that Tyki's fib to the twins might not be such a fib after all. "Well?"

Allen stared. "Uh, um…kind of…"

Tyki probably would not have cared what the answer was as he pulled a dusty leather-back book from the second shelf and stacked it against the one he was holding. He walked forward again finding a nearby wall and lighting a match from what Allen thought was no where. He held it into the darkness, lighting two candelabras hanging near him. A comfy chair emerged from the retreating shadows which Tyki promptly took for himself. He motioned for Allen to sit on the floor at his side. Allen stiffly obeyed, staring at Tyki uncertainly until the dusty tome was shoved in his face. Accepting it nervously, Allen wiped the cover and squinted to read what he could make out.

_Holy Bible_

"Ever read it, boy?" Tyki asked offhandedly, pulling another match from thin air along with a cigarette.

Allen barely shook his head. "I've…heard some of the stories…"

Tyki took a long drag from his cigarette and blew a cloud leisurely. He held his free hand out and Allen gave him the book back. Tyki flipped through the pages randomly, finding himself somewhere near the beginning.

"They tell you the story of Adam and Eve?" he asked, nonchalant.

Allen nodded slowly. Tyki shut the book, dust spewing from it and mixing in with his smoke, and waved it around playfully.

"I like that story," Tyki admitted, talking wistfully, as if Allen wasn't there to hear him. "Right from the beginning, women take the backseat…"

Allen blinked, not fully understanding what that was supposed to mean.

Tyki's face betrayed the beginnings of a smile. "You see, it is in this story that woman causes man to sin. She tempts him to defy God, and then original sin comes into play and blah, blah, blah. You get a lot of stories kind of like that." Tyki took another long drag. The smoke was starting to crowd around Allen, making him want to cough a little. "'Women should submit to their husbands and obey,' or some such thing."

Allen wasn't quite following. He had met plenty of women before while traveling with Mana, some with men and some without. He found in many cases the exact opposite seemed to be true.

Tyki's smile was now very apparent as he leaned over to Allen. "Now, boy," he said in the way a teacher might to his student, "you haven't asked me the important question."

"Huh?" Allen blinked through the haze.

"You're supposed to say, 'Why is it, Tyki, that women are portrayed like this?'" Tyki's voice squeaked as he imitated Allen. Allen felt the air get thicker with smoke and his own uneasiness. He stiffened his back without answering Tyki.

Tyki didn't mind the silence at all. His teeth gleamed in the shadows of the library as a low chuckle escaped his throat. Allen did his best to breathe through his nose and keep calm but the smoke made it difficult.

"It is because," Tyki whispered, his voice in its lowest register, "women are inferior to men. They are more susceptible to petty desires and darkness, and thus are far more unstable in any resolves they have." Tyki's eyes were almost bulging as though each word he said brought him extreme happiness. As Allen looked into them, his eyes became clouded over with fond and terrible memories Allen didn't want to know the slightest about. Allen didn't understand a lot of the words Tyki had said, but he was pretty sure he had caught a lot of the drift.

Tyki's lips twitched as though he was about to say more, but a loud sneeze from down the hall made both of them jump. A sniffling earl appeared in the doorway.

"There you are!" he said warmly, rubbing his nose. Allen jumped to his feet but restrained himself from running over, not wanting to offend Tyki (he already had two too many enemies in this place).

"Earl!" Tyki started. "You're back."

The earl nodded pleasantly, looking back and forth between Tyki and Allen. "Did you have a good time?" Tyki's expression didn't change. Allen looked very anxious to leave.

"Sure," Tyki said, back to behaving normally. He tossed the thick book carelessly onto the table and picked up the one he had been reading before. "Nothing much happened."

"I see," the earl said, finishing the pointless pleasantries abruptly before turning to the youngest in the room. "Allen, would you come with me please?"

Allen didn't need to be asked twice. Not looking back, he hurried into the hall with the earl and breathed deep in the clearer air. The two walked in relative silence, though the air around the earl seemed excited and Allen had to jog every so often to keep in stride.

"Where are we going?" Allen eventually dared to ask after calming down.

The earl smiled wider than usual but he didn't look down at him. "I have something for you," was his only reply. Allen's eyebrows slowly rose as comprehension dawned on him. Somehow, he didn't get the feeling that this was going to be a present, but then, he had no idea what to expect at all.

The doors on the sides of the hallway were getting fewer and less frequent as they strolled. It took them nearly ten minutes to come to the end of the corridor where the strangest doorway Allen had ever seen was waiting. There was a giant gap in the wall, a strange speckled pattern of holes. They seemed to shine despite being nothing but pitch black, and it tugged dreadfully on Allen's memory. He had seen something like them before, sometime recently. Where was it?

"Through here," the earl called before waltzing through the largest opening. Allen hesitated, still unsure, but he knew he couldn't dawdle so he closed his eyes and ran through as well. A strange, enshrouding feeling covered him nostalgically, and his eyes shot open as he recalled falling through a graveyard after signing a contract.

What greeted him was not darkness but a vast, white city like some place he had seen in the South when he was younger. There was some impressive palace standing regally at the center of everything. Allen looked around in awe, but noted in confusion that the city was empty. Everyone who had ever lived there seemed to have abandoned it.

"This way, please," the earl said, grabbing Allen's wrist and leading him into one of the houses. It was dark for a second until Allen could see that it was a large room with the highest ceiling he had ever been under. How was that possible? The house they had walked inside had been barely one story tall.

The room was very empty save for one giant something in the center. It was large and egg-shaped, surrounded by bulky, black figures that weren't moving, even as he and the earl had arrived.

"What is it?" Allen asked, dumbstruck. It was so grand and it seemed to be _breathing._ It glimmered eerily, and Allen didn't think that he liked it at all.

"It is very precious to us," the earl said mysteriously. "It helps do what we are here to do."

This cryptic answer puzzled Allen who wasn't sure what they were "here to do," but what made him even more nonplussed was the rocking chair that had appeared out of no where suddenly sitting beneath the earl's backside. A long, shimmering string was stretching from the giant egg and into a sewing needle between the earl's fingers which he held up in the air proudly.

"Come sit by me," the earl instructed, patting the air in a spot next to him. Allen obeyed curiously, sitting on his knees. The black figures did not turn their heads, but Allen felt as though they were watching him. The earl grabbed his left wrist and pulled it to lie across the rocking chair's armrest between the two of them. The green cross embedded in the hand shined resiliently, as if it knew what was coming next. The sewing needle swooped down as though guiding the hand of the earl, and Allen shut his eyes tight a split second before it happened.

Allen screamed very loudly as something white hot ripped through his hand. His arm was kept in place by the earl's firm grip as prick after prick after prick found the shining wire threaded through Allen's skin. The earl pulled the string tightly, and Allen's teary eyes watched as his skin was tugged together, closing very painfully over the shining cross. After tying the stitch tight, the earl began again in a perpendicular direction, sealing the horizontal end of the cross within Allen's unforgiving flesh.

After releasing Allen's arm, the earl watched the boy writhe and curl on the floor, clutching at the stitches. He was not worried that they would come undone, and merely waited Allen's fit out until he collapsed exhausted in a sweaty heap.

From that day forward, Allen's hand would ache and sear if ever so much as a finger twitched.

* * *

It had to have been nearly a year now. Allen's life seemed a lot more mundane than what he had once had traveling around with Mana, though there were some interesting merits to it. Instead of living in strange places, he was living with even stranger people. Everyday seemed like a constant fight to avoid Devit and Jasdero, a battle he won not even half the time. He had caught glimpses of other people who didn't seem too interested in bonding with him, like that man Tyki always called "Sweet Tooth." This was okay with Allen, who wasn't too fond of anyone. If with anyone, he preferred spending his time with Road or Tyki, Road because she wouldn't torment him (not maliciously anyway) and Tyki because he seemed the sanest. This theory was called into question one day though, if only for a split second, when Tyki had partially crushed a bug beneath his shoe and smirked as it squirmed in pain while he twisted his foot to smash it little by little, causing Road to laugh in glee and Allen to want to throw up. 

He still wasn't very used to where they were. The strange house had many twisting corridors, the majority of which he had never traveled. He was only allowed to wander a few places by himself like the dining room and the sitting room, and he had to be chaperoned if he went anywhere else. This usually wasn't a problem since one chaperone was always at hand, literally.

Sometime during his first month there, Allen had heard a loud thump from a room across the hall. When he checked to see what the commotion was, he saw the tail end of Road prancing gleefully away from some hall closet Allen had never bothered to investigate until that very moment. As his hand touched the door handle, a strange, sputtering noise was emitted from the room. When the curious Allen opened the door, he was met with none other than a tiny talking pumpkin. Head. Pumpkin head. Pumpkin head umbrella.

"Missy Road, lero!" the odd thing had screamed from its coat hanger perch, wrapped in string and necklaces Road had found amusing to decorate him with. "You better let me out of here right now or the earl will paint your fanny r-ehhhh?"

Allen had screamed, slammed the door, and ran away. Later that day, the earl had to explain to him just who Lero was. When Allen discovered he wasn't the most totally defenseless person in the family, he felt he had sort of found a new friend. Lero was a bit bossy but had nothing to back it all up with. Allen usually dragged him along when he felt like venturing somewhere new or if he was afraid he would get lost.

And he did get lost.

Today was one of those days; he got lost on the way back to his room. Road had demanded that he leave Lero with her so Allen knew he was either going to have to find his own way back or face the consequences (these varied from scolding to trauma at whatever room he stumbled upon). He had been lost for twenty minutes and was on the verge of panicking when he heard voices and stopped. Relieved, he looked around for where they could be coming from. He finally spotted an open door at the end of the hallway.

"-lay like that? …barely move it."

"…have to get used to it."

Another low mutter that Allen couldn't make out rumbled.

"…worried, Tyki?"

Allen froze. That was the Millennium Earl's voice. He tiptoed closer to the door, wondering what they were talking about.

"Of course not." A flicking sound, probably of a match. "I just thought it might work against us."

"If there's a problem with it, we'll remove it," the earl said simply. Tyki raised an eyebrow as Allen approached the doorway, causing the earl to spin on his heel grinning. Tyki took a drag from his cigarette as the earl laughed in greeting. "Lost again, Allen?"

"What are you removing?" Allen asked without thinking, placing a hand on the doorframe.

"Ah, we were just talking about a performer!" the earl said, gliding to Allen's side. "Tyki-Wyki was going to take you to see a show tonight. Would you like that?"

Allen and Tyki blinked at the same time. Tyki's muttering of, "'Wyki?' That's a new one," was mere background noise in the earl's looming presence.

Allen was rooted to the spot at the idea. A show. Was he really going to see a show? Was he going to be able to go outside after what felt like a century since he had seen the world?

"Really?" he asked quietly, finding his lips suddenly very dry.

"There's a circus troupe in London that Road really wants to go see," the earl said encouragingly. "You two can go to it tonight, if you'd like."

Allen's face lit up like a light. Pure, real excitement welled up inside him like it hadn't in a very long time. "Yes please!"

The earl chuckled and Tyki sighed, the latter clearly not looking forward to it.

* * *

Loud music was blaring from the tent down the street, making Allen and Road both bounce on their heels. Road had been giggling madly ever since they had left. Allen figured that his new home must have been somewhere in London since all they had to do was walk out the black, holey door to get there. To think, he had been so close to his hometown and never realized it. 

Balloons littered the streets and bobbled in the hands of other smiling children all around. When they reached the ticket stand, Tyki had the two wait on a bench for him to return. Road swung her legs up and down on the bench, her smile never faltering once.

"I can't wait!" she shouted, throwing her hands into the air. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Allen couldn't help but agree with her. He had been something of a traveling performer himself with Mana and was excited for a bit of that old fun and familiarity.

Road suddenly perked up, her eyes widening as she gazed across the street. Allen followed her line of sight and saw the ice cream stand she was now watching fondly.

"Tyki told us to stay here, Road," Allen warned but she wasn't listening.

"Alright!" Road shouted, jumping to her feet instantly. Allen, recognizing he was about to be left alone if he didn't do something quickly, stood up as well, but Road was already dashing down the street.

"Road!" he called. "Wait for me!" Allen pushed through the crowd, apologizing where he could. Road was no where to be seen, not even when Allen reached the ice cream stand.

"Oh no! Where'd she go?" Allen cried, looking around frantically. Road wasn't appearing anywhere, and there were dozens of candy and balloon stands all around, their signs poking over the heads of the people flooding the streets. Road could have gone to any of them. Allen nervously gathered his resolve to plunge into the crowd.

A strong hand grabbed the collar of his jacket from behind, making him gag and sputter. Allen barely got a glimpse of a tall person with a big hat and long hair before something hard hit his head and he passed out.

The crowd was thickening surely, and a little gaggle of kids had tripped Road on accident. "Ow!" she screamed. "Stupid punks!" She pulled herself up to sit and rubbed her scraped knees tenderly, little tears pooling in her eyes.

A hand appeared before her nose invitingly. Road looked up into Tyki's bored yet soothing face and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"You okay there?" he asked sweetly, and Road responded by giving her brother a big hug. Tyki put a hand on her shoulder and that was all, but Road could have cared less. It was all the comfort she needed.

The hand clenched a little, digging into her skin. Road flinched even though it didn't hurt, and she looked up at Tyki again.

"Road," Tyki began, his voice low and dangerous. "Where is Allen?"

Pulling back slowly, Road peered through the crowd just as Tyki was doing. The bench they had been sitting at was occupied by a little girl with her doll and grandmother resting before the show. There was a long line by the ice cream stand that Allen definitely was not part of nor anywhere near.

"Allen?" Road tried calling over the bustling street, but there was no way he'd hear her unless he was very close by.

"Road, did you _lose him?_" Tyki's eyes narrowed angrily though they gleamed with something akin to panic as well.

Road looked up once again, not shrinking back from Tyki's glare but closing her eyes sheepishly before squeaking, "Oops."

Hours later, Road would be very sad. She would not have gotten any ice cream, having been forced to search the city with Tyki until they found Allen. She would not have gotten to see the show, since when they did not find Allen they had to go back home and tell the earl. She also would be spanked for the very first time in her life.


	3. CURSE

* * *

III - CURSE

* * *

Time was ticking just as it always had, no slower and no faster. It ran its course for three full days, slipping away like water through the earl's fingers. With each passing second, his chances of tracking Allen down grew slimmer. He was down to a handful of options.

The contract Allen signed had been very specific; Allen was not allowed to forsake his new home. However, since it was unclear whether or not Allen was attempting to return, the earl still had an obligation to find him. He read the Abandonment Clause many times through, trying to decide a course of action.

_The Ward shall Not leave Home or Jurisdiction without the Permission of the Patron by Free Will or Otherwise. Should Otherwise occur, the Patron is deemed any Measure by which to Retrieve the Ward._

"'Any measure.'" The earl had one idea. It certainly could help pick Allen out from a crowd, but…

"Why do I have a sneaking suspicion I know who is behind this…?" the earl muttered coldly, gripping tightly at the edges of the document. He didn't think Allen was capable of running away at this point or else he wouldn't have let him go out, so that left the blame to fall on another. Coupling that with the peculiar deformity attached to Allen's shoulder, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. It had to have been an exorcist.

The earl's fists clenched tightly. Since no one was left to miss the boy, only a person with access to knowledge the earl didn't could know about his taking on Allen, and what knowledge didn't he have? His teeth were gritting together. Mana's Will. This only confirmed his suspicions about the boy, but now he was at a disadvantage. He had certainly bought himself some time by negating Allen's Innocence with Dark Matter, but depending on who got a hold of him…

Any measure.

"Hear this, my adorable akuma," the earl seethed, pulling something thin and red out of the contract. "If you find a human bearing any marks of a curse, you will bring him to me."

He released his fingers, letting the curse return to its original host.

* * *

Allen rubbed the receding bump on his head gingerly, still recovering from when he had been bludgeoned. The grass was scratching at his pants in the wind as he gazed at the sunset. He and his captor were just outside of the small town Allen had awoken in. He had no idea exactly where this little town was—he had a feeling that he never would, as far as the man he was with was concerned—but he wasn't sure if it mattered to him. While this Cross Marian wasn't necessarily the nicest man in the world, Allen felt a bit safer with him than he had anywhere in the past year. It was as if leaving the care of the Millennium Earl was liberating, like he just broke the surface of a lake he had been drowning in.

"So they were called 'akuma'?" Allen asked softly, recalling all of the strangely stoic housemaids and butlers he had met in the house of the earl. Though they never showed any emotion, Allen couldn't help but feel as though they had been screaming inside whenever he looked at them.

Cross nodded, striking a match. Allen watched him light a cigarette and was reminded of Tyki Mikk. It wasn't a comforting feeling.

"Is…that what Mana became?"

"Yes. When the earl bade you to call him, his soul became attached to the machine known as an 'akuma.' That is what the earl does." Cross let his arm rest against a knee as he stared over the hills. Allen shot him another sidelong glance before letting his eyes wander to the hands resting in his own lap.

"Why?" he said at last, his voice verging on a whisper.

There was a pause before Cross replied. "It is the earl's goal to destroy the world. He uses the akuma to achieve this goal.'

Allen nodded slowly, swallowing a heavy lump in his throat. It felt so surreal. Was he really buying all of this? Was the man who shared his family with him such a bad person? Somehow, he found it difficult to see those amused eyes hiding behind spectacles arch in wickedness or hear that hearty laugh fill with malice. But he knew it to be the truth. The earl had tricked him into turning his father into one of his pawns, and no matter how much he may have misled Allen to thinking about other things, Allen could not forget that night of fear and that sense of dread and betrayal that overwhelmed him when he heard his father cry in anguish in the graveyard. Nor would he forget the pain of his father's blade tearing his face apart, the memory even now making the skin around his left eye tingle.

"It is the duty," Cross continued, turning to face Allen, "of us exorcists to stop him." Allen looked up. "We chosen few can destroy the akuma and have any hope of crashing the earl's play."

Allen's wide eyes became riddled with curiosity. "'Chosen?'"

Cross held up a sleek, silver gun. "God blesses us with a weapon known as Innocence to fight with. It is in this gun and, also, in your left hand."

Allen jumped, wincing as he raised his arm too quickly for his stitches to handle. Ignoring the pain and the sudden headache he was experiencing, Allen examined the cavity on the back of his hand, the flesh strung tightly into ridges. The embedded black cross was poking sharply from beneath almost as though it wanted to make sure Allen never forgot it was there.

A larger hand wrapped around his wrist and tugged his arm away. Allen yelped as Cross plucked at his stitches, stroking his beard in thought.

"Dark Matter. How clever," Cross mumbled. He plucked a string, causing Allen to bite his lip at the sudden throb. "Something tells me it won't be easy to cut through."

As Cross stood up, Allen scrunched his face, fighting the increased pounding in his head.

"Maybe if you synchronize at a high enough rate, it'll break," Cross theorized, finishing his cigarette and tossing it off. Allen wasn't really paying attention anymore, raising both his hands to caress his burning face. Little by little, he felt the pain sear through him.

"Mr. Cross…" he began unsteadily. Tears were starting to well up in his eyes. Cross was too busy with his own thoughts to notice his discomfort. Allen leaned over and began rubbing his face, pressing harder and harder against his forehead to lessen the ache. "Mr. Cross…I don't feel so great…"

Suddenly, his head exploded. Allen gasped as something ripped across his face. His right hand cupped his left eye and cheek as they burned like fire while his body doubled over in shock. Two strong hands grabbed his shoulders and leaned him back. Cross removed Allen's hands from his face and glared harshly.

"It hurts…" Allen moaned, rolling his head around feverishly. "It hurts so much…"

The pain was multiplying tenfold. It felt just like the night Mana had cursed him. Exactly like it… The lump on his head Cross had given him days before wasn't helping. The steady throbbing from that and the burning sensation intensifying by the second eventually became enough to push Allen passed his limit and his eyes rolled back in his head. His body fell limp in Cross's arms as he lost consciousness.

Cross stared grimly at the stark red mark marring the skin around Allen's left eye. Allen's sweat-matted brown hair was turning noticeably lighter even as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

This could not be good.

* * *

There were very distant voices echoing around him. They almost seemed muffled and were so light they floated about his head. There might have been the faintest traces of urgency in them. He vaguely registered being passed between people's arms before his back eventually met the smooth, hard surface of a table.

He blinked warily but his vision was very fuzzy. When his eyes would not focus, they flitted about wildly in an effort to make out any of his surroundings. It seemed like a very white and clean place. He tried to raise his hands up—to do what, he wasn't sure—but they were either too heavy or would not respond. So many of these people wore white coats. There was one dark coat, and it seemed familiar. It gave him the impression of red.

There was a big face in front of him now. He couldn't see its eyes because they were covered by white glasses or something thick like that. It had a long dark mass that could have been hair. All he could register was the proximity of it in comparison with his nose. A big blob of white was in his line of vision now and it covered one of his eyes.

Allen woke up in bed, not recalling ever falling asleep again. He had a much easier time gathering himself together than before and managed to sit up on his own. The room he was in was cold and bare of anything very defining, but it was most noticeably dark. The large window behind him framed a white full moon shining brilliantly. Something about his perception of depth seemed out of place and his hand rose to touch his left eye, finding a gauzy patch there instead.

Wasn't he just with Cross Marian? Why did that seem like days ago? Allen rested a finger gingerly on his eye, wondering why it didn't bother him at all anymore. The only thing that hurt was his left hand in its usual manner.

Allen pulled the covers up and set his feet on the chilly floor. Where were his shoes? He didn't see them anywhere in the room. Allen was about to get up to look around when the silence was broken by a steady creak. The handle on the only door was turning slowly. Allen watched quietly as the door opened enough for a wide eye to peer at him. The eye flinched, realizing it was being watched.

The door swung open slowly, and out of the dark hallway stepped a little girl. She must have been around Allen's age. Her dark hair shot passed her shoulders elegantly, but her soft face seemed taught with stress. She gazed at Allen nervously.

Allen smiled at her, causing her shy eyes to stray to the wall at her side. "Hi," he greeted, "what's your name?"

The girl blushed. "Lenalee," she mumbled timidly, still not quite meeting his eyes.

Allen became a little excited. Lenalee seemed nice enough. "What are you doing here, Lenalee?" _How about what am _I_ doing here?_

Lenalee's head shot up as she became anxious. "Y-You won't tell anyone, will you?" she begged desperately.

Allen was taken aback. "Uh…are you not supposed to be here or something?" At this, Lenalee verged on tears, at which Allen waved his hands around madly. "D-Don't worry! I won't tell! I promise!"

Lenalee seemed to calm down some and Allen sighed in relief.

"Lenalee," Allen asked, "is a man named Cross Marian here?"

The girl's face changed instantly to an expression of curiosity. "You know General Cross?"

Allen did another double-take. "Wait…did you say 'General?'"

"General Cross has been with my brother ever since he arrived," Lenalee answered as if she didn't hear him. "I think they went to see Hevlaska."

_General? Hevlaska? _Well, at least Cross was here _somewhere._

"What's he like?" Allen turned from his thoughts to see Lenalee's genuinely curious face.

"What's who like?" he asked confusedly.

"General Cross. I've heard rumors, but I'd like to know." Lenalee leaned back against the wall by the door. "They say he's a great man."

Allen blinked, not quite sure about any of that. "I don't know," he said after a moment. He looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I just met him a few days ago."

"Oh." Lenalee seemed a little disappointed. She twisted the ends of her hair a little as if contemplating something.

All of the questions Allen had were slipping his mind at that moment. Words would almost be on the tip of his tongue before he decided on a different question to ask. He didn't manage to get anything out before Lenalee's peculiar question.

"Why is your hair all white?"

Allen didn't react like he thought he might. It didn't seem to him like a legitimate question. On reflex, his right hand grabbed at the ends of his hair by his face and pulled them forward for him to see as best as he could. His hair certainly seemed lighter than he remembered it being.

Perplexed, Allen looked around the room, his eyes finally resting on the window behind him. The moonlight passed through his reflection making him look ethereal in the glow. At first, it seemed like the moonlight was the culprit, but the longer Allen stared, the more the reality of the situation hit him. Allen ran his fingers through his hair that he knew to be brown. He blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes, but the image of his hair in the window was still white as snow.

There were loud footsteps from down the hall. Lenalee jumped instantly, looking more and more panicked when she heard low voices.

Allen snapped from his stupor as well. "Close the door!" he hissed. Lenalee did her best to close it quickly and quietly despite her sudden shaking. Whoever was out there, it seemed they were headed in their direction. Allen spotted a desk in the corner, the largest piece of furniture there next to the bed. "Under there!" he said, pointing to it. Lenalee was too distraught to think twice, diving between the chair legs to hide in the dark space. Allen managed to get his feet under the covers before the door opened again.

"Ah, you're awake." Three tall men Allen had never seen before entered. Allen wasn't sure what to think of them or their strange white coats. The rose crosses on their left breasts matched the one on Cross's uniform. Were they allies of Cross?

But when Allen managed a glance at Lenalee, he saw that she seemed upset by their presence.

"Who are you?" Allen asked innocently. It seemed something natural to say.

"Scientists," the same man said simply. "We're of the Black Order."

_Black Order?_ "…I see." Allen eyed the strange trays they were bringing in. "Where is Mr. Cross?"

One of them leaned in very close to his face, making Allen flinch. "The general asked for your curse to be purified," he said, ripping the bandage from Allen's eye. Allen glared, tensing up. That didn't answer his question.

"Did he ask _you_ to do this?" he said sharply. Lenalee's reaction was making him feel wary.

The scientist didn't seem very tolerant of his attitude. "He asked for the Order to handle it."

Allen, feeling perturbed by the man, whipped his head around to look in the window. He forgot his frustration for a moment in shock at what he saw. That red thing the earl had made their contract with—it now ran down his face. Allen touched his cheek delicately, his fingers tracing the mark to the pentacle on his forehead…

A hand on his shoulder signaled him to look up. The scientist's eyes bore into his. "It would be best if you lay down so that we may begin."

The shadows the moon was casting were distorting everything in a nightmarish fashion. Allen didn't like their dark faces or the strange devices they were holding, so he wasn't sure why he complied so easily. He felt eerily calm.

"This may sting," someone said, though it didn't sound comforting at all. "3…2…1…"

Allen flinched, clenching the sheets with his fists. It felt like they were burning his face with welded steel. He managed to suppress any shout of pain to a staunched gurgle. When the heat was removed after what felt like hours, Allen gasped.

"What was that?" he spat, fingering the flesh around his eye. It didn't feel horribly charred…

"Test 1 was a failure," one of them said, reaching over to grab something else from a tray. "What next?"

"I want to see Mr. Cross!" Allen cried, trying to get out of the bed. The scientist nearest him easily overpowered him, forcing him to lie back again. "Let me go!"

Allen's aggressor yelped and drew his hand back as the boy bit him. Several other hands pinned Allen down, one pair clenching his jaw shut.

With each attempt on the curse, the black eye piercing through every man there grew redder and redder. Allen himself became more belligerent with the time, kicking and lashing wildly. Only after they tried every idea they could think of did Allen grow too exhausted to protest anymore. He was on the brink of passing out entirely when the scientists gave up.

One of them fingered through the many instruments on the trays, resting eventually on something very sharp. He stared nonplussed at Allen's cursed eye which was still in perfect shape despite their best efforts. He gripped his tool of choice tightly.

"There's only one thing left to do," he said begrudgingly. He pushed his way to the bedside, positioning the knife carefully.

Another one grimaced. "You're going to remove it?" No one was objecting.

From under the desk, a silently sobbing Lenalee covered her mouth to hold back a gasp.

Something white was pushing them back.

* * *

"That's irresponsible," an omniscient woman's voice rang. Cross took the statement lightly, as usual. "Where did you pick up such a child?"

"London," Cross said simply. "Where else would have such strange things?" No one laughed at the joke.

"Why is his arm like that?"

Cross stopped. He looked up innocently. "Like what?"

Hevlaska would have looked impatient if she was capable of it. "His left arm feels like a big space of nothing. Is there supposed to be power there?"

Cross's fingers itched through his pocket as he restrained himself from smoking. "What kind of power?"

Hevlaska recognized that he was dodging the question, a sure sign that he wasn't about to tell her anything.

"Well," Cross said, standing up straight, "Guess you should know that you probably won't be hearing from me for a while."

Hevlaska might have been suspicious. "Why would you tell me that?"

Cross shrugged. "Thought you might want to know that I'm alright despite how long I'm away."

"I never worry about whether you're alright," Hevlaska said matter-of-factly. "I know you aren't."

Cross raised an eyebrow. Did Hevlaska just crack a joke?

Hevlaska grimaced, her brow furrowing. "You couldn't have…" she mumbled. Cross turned entirely to face her. All of the Innocence in her body was glowing strangely. "General Cross, did you bring Dark Matter into the Order?"

Cross grinned, something akin to worry glimmering in his eyes. "What makes you ask?"

Hevlaska seemed to be struggling with the reaction the Innocence inside her were having. "Something…is happening…upstairs."

* * *

Cross burst into the room, burning with rage. There were bodies littering the floor. Cross didn't even have to check if they were dead; the blood seeping from their mouths and the holes in their torsos was all he needed to see. He walked deliberately to the bed and observed the white plasma engulfing the boy before him. Allen's left arm was convulsing madly, shedding little strands of purple from the hand. The Dark Matter was not holding together.

The general gathered Allen into his arms, intent on fleeing, when he heard stifled sobbing. He glanced at the corner, seeing pale legs sticking out from underneath the desk.

Lenalee froze when she noticed Cross approaching her. Her breath hitched in her throat when he knelt down to her level.

"Forget it all," Cross demanded sternly. "Forget whatever you saw here, for your sake."

Lenalee swallowed her tears back, breathing deeply. "Is he…okay?"

Allen had barely twitched a muscle save for his left arm's spasms since Cross had arrived.

Cross's eyes narrowed. "If you don't breathe a word, he will be."

After Cross had taken Allen and left, it took Lenalee a while to muster up the strength to return to her room where she refused to come out for a week.


End file.
